Nature: The Eternal Inspiration

Nature is the eternal inspiration for all artists. Being a children’s author, I often express my feelings in the form of poems. Even my children’s novel The Shadow of the Steam Engineis set against the backdrop of a forest. The idea for the poem, Timber Tales occurred when I was thinking of the wanton felling of trees. Track Talk is an expression of my love for nature trails and the green wealth of the forest.

Paradoxically, my love for nature bloomed on the campus of a professional college. The Veterinary College at Mannuthy boasts of a verdant campus. The campus is home to over 130 species of birds including some rare ones such as the crested serpent eagle. I have stumbled upon porcupine quills during my evening walks in the campus and have been startled by the sudden rise of the wild quail to the accompaniment of gunshot-like sounds, from the Napier grass.

During this period I also had the opportunity to visit the Chinnar Wildlife sanctuary. The sanctuary takes its name from a shallow river that runs through it. The forest in The Shadow of the Steam Engine is in part drawn from my memories of the visit. There are as many poems in a tree as there are trees in a forest.

Here’s the poem titled Track Talk by Vestin Verghese which urges us to stop at places that offer us shades of green and restore the sprawling magnificence.

Track TalkLet us stop for a restWhere the bird songs are sweetest And the streams are clearestLet us stop for a restWhere the trees are greenest And wild animals are happiestLet us stop for a restOn the path through the forestThen let us move on with zestAnd leave the green forestFor wild animals to take rest.